The Akwa Ibom State Government has revealed that more people in Nigeria die from malaria complications than road accidents across the country.
The state Commissioner for Health, Dr Ekem John, stated this while briefing newsmen in Uyo on Monday ahead of the distribution of 3.9m insecticide treated nets to all households across the 31 Local Government Areas of the State.
“The cheapest thing to do is for the government to build roads and everybody claps, but you see more people die from malaria than they die from road accidents.
“Even today with all the anti-malaria drugs that we have, people die from malaria rather than roads accidents. There are a lot of people whose kidneys have failed because of malaria complications.
“To strengthen the fight against malaria against malaria, the Akwa Ibom State government is partnering with the the National Malaria Elimination Programme, the United States and Against Malaria Foundation to distribute 3.9m insecticide treated nets free of charge to households across the State,” he said.
He said the campaign will be implemented in two critical phases with the Phase 1 beginning with household registration which commences on June 1 to June 7 across all the communities, while phase 2 of the campaign will be the net distribution which will begin from June 20 to June 26.
The commissioner highlighted the efforts made by the state government in the fight against malaria, noting that recent survey has revealed that malaria prevalence has moved from 29.9 percent to 15.5 percent
He added that despite the significant drop in prevalence, malaria remains a major public health issue.
“Akwa Ibom is among the few states in the country that have consistently conducted successful replacement campaigns across successive years.it is our hope that to remain so. These efforts together with our malaria control interventions have contributed significantly to the progress made in the fight against malaria over the past decades
“However, we recognise that the war against malaria is far from over. The 2025 malaria indicator survey reveals that malaria prevalence in Akwa Ibom State is currently 15.5 percent. This is very significant considering that before now the prevalence for Akwa Ibom was about 29.9 per cent
“If you are in the health sector, you will understand the significance of driving down malaria prevalence from 29.9 percent to 15.5 percent. Our goal is to sustain it downward until we attain the malaria elimination status with the prevalence rate of less than 5 percent and then go further to eliminate it. This is possible.
“Therefore despite the progress already made malaria remains a major public health threat that requires collective action,” he added.
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